Welcome to the Friday edition of the HOT BARN REPORT
Heard ONLY on American radio stations across the nation and online at hotbarnreport.com!
Karina Jones, Field Director for R-Calf USA joins us each Friday from her ranch in the heart of Nebraska covering what’s new and important to the family farm and ranch.
BREAKING NEWS: The biggest news to affect the cattle industry in months and the American consumer was announced this week. Congressman Lance Gooden from TX and Congressman Ro Khanna from CA have introduced the companion legislation of The American Beef Labeling Act in the House. This legislation would restore mandatory country of origin labeling on beef!
If you haven’t noticed, fat cattle prices have been rather stagnant. The USDA is telling us we have record cattle on feed. So if we have an ample supply of cattle why are we continuing to import at such a healthy clip? I smell a rat!
USDA data shows that the US imports beef from 20 different countries. Over the last year, on an average month we import 135,000 head of live cattle from Canada and Mexico.
Is this what we would call a “managed market”? Well, it is time to take back what is ours, the domestic market! All of these imports have unfairly displaced American raised beef and choked our cattle market. The American consumer is also the victim as they have unfairly been made to pay record beef prices while not even getting the information to be able to make an informed decision.
Washington DC has protected this scheme long enough. American consumers are demanding the truth and American cattle producers are demanding differentiation in our marketplace. Do not fall for the USDA and some cattle groups romantic compromise of reconfiguring the “Product of USA” label. That label will always be voluntary and it will always be voluntarily not used. The “Product of USA” label will never address imports. That is why Congressional action is required to stop the deception with a mandatory country of origin label. If it is from Nigeria or Nicaragua, it is time it is labeled as such. What is the old saying, “Call a spade, a spade.”
Protecting the status quo and cowering to packer power with weak compromises is not something I can stomach. I have kids that want a shot at coming back to this way of life, so I intend to fight for it!
Stay tuned to all cattle industry news on the R-CALF USA website and social media platforms. We will soon be posting this new bill number introduced in the House so that you can call your Representative and urge them to stand with the American cattle producer and the American consumer and restore mandatory country of origin labeling on beef! We are all better working together, but let’s hold the line and remind DC who they work for, the American PEOPLE, not global conglomerates.
The 38th Annual Oetken Angus Bull Sale with guest consignor Noman Angus is today at Crawford Livestock along with their regular cattle sale. Monte James will be back on Monday to tell you about the big sales next week at Presho, Mobridge, Stockman’s Livestock, Lemmon, Basset, Platte, Creighton and North Platte salebarns .. buy safely online at CattleUSA.com!!
The HOTTEST sale barns in America
See more at HOT BARN REPORT
As always buy ’em up online at CattleUSA.com
Creighton Livestock Market
Lemmon Livestock, INC.
Presho Livestock Auction
Mobridge Livestock
Platte Livestock Market
Stockmen’s Livestock
Crawford Livestock Market
North Platte Stockyards
Bassett Livestock Auction
